LOL that guy's a moron for not wearing shoes. Half the episodes he ends up making them anyway.

Thanks for all the good info so far. Is there a type of Danner's you suggest? The Danner Men's Radical 452 GTX look good if I can find a good sale.

We have no REI in Bako, so Dick's is probably my best bet to be able to try them on. Whatever I buy will probably be online since typically the best prices are there.

Also I'm curious does Big 5 sell hiking boots that are exclusive to Big 5 only? I was trying to look up several different styles online that are on sale this week, but I can't find any info on any of them, not even on the manufacturer's websites. Hi-Tec Ultimate, Hi-Tec Teton Mid Men's, Outland Quest, Bearpaw Wildwood, and Wenger Jackson are what I was looking up on Amazon and Google and got nothing.

And last, I am willing to pay over $100 if they will last me many many many years, but few shoes do when worn a lot. That's why I mentioned Mora knives. In case you aren't familiar with them, they are excellent knives that last forever that cost < $15. I'm sure there is a shoe company out there that makes great hiking boots at low prices, I just haven't been able to find them yet and was hoping more experienced hikers could help me out.